1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure for a front body of a vehicle and, more particular, to a front body structure for a vehicle provided with a front spoiler for improvement in aerodynamic characteristics which is separated upward from a nose panel of a front body and extends in a transverse direction of a vehicle body.
2. Description of Related Art
Front body structures improved in aerodynamic characteristics have been proposed in various forms. One of the front body structures, which is known from, for instance, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. 5-69861, includes an inclined nose panel and a front bumper disposed upward from the nose panel so as to work as a floating type of front spoiler. While the front body equipped with this floating type of front spoiler has an advantage in that it can provide a low hood line irrespective of disposing a front bumper at a desired height and can realize improved aerodynamic characteristics. However, the front body has difficulty in protecting a pedestrian upon an occurrence of a frontal clash against the pedestrian.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a front body structure for a vehicle which is equipped with a front spoiler disposed with a separation above from a front nose end and extending in a transverse direction of the front body and which ensures desired aerodynamic characteristics and protection of a pedestrian.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a front body structure for a vehicle which is equipped with a buffering front spoiler disposed with a separation above from a front nose end and extending in a transverse direction of the front body and which is capable of absorbing energy of an external impact from above.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a front body structure for a vehicle which is equipped with a front spoiler capable of changing in shape by energy of an external impact greater than specified energy and which provides improvement in pedestrian protection upon an occurrence of a frontal clash against a pedestrian.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a front body structure for a vehicle which is equipped with a front spoiler provided with a core member extending in a transverse direction of and secured to the front body having a deformation part capable of changing in shape by the greater-than-specified energy of an external impact at the middle thereof and which ensures improvement in pedestrian protection upon an occurrence of a frontal clash against a pedestrian.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a front body structure for a vehicle which is equipped with a front spoiler supported at opposite ends in a transverse direction of the front body by supporting members capable of changing in shape when receiving energy of an external impact thereon upon an occurrence of a frontal clash and which ensures improvement in pedestrian protection upon an occurrence of a frontal clash against a pedestrian.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a front body structure for a vehicle which is equipped with a front spoiler integrally formed with intermediate supporting member capable of changing in shape when receiving energy of an external impact thereon upon an occurrence of a frontal clash and which ensures improvement in pedestrian protection upon an occurrence of a frontal clash against a pedestrian.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a front body structure for a vehicle in which a front spoiler is installed with a forward end thereof disposed in a position near and above a front bumper and which, when the vehicle has a frontal clash with a pedestrian and the front bumper hits and sweeps legs of the pedestrian, the front spoiler stops the upper body of the pedestrian so as thereby to protect the upper body from pitching forward toward the hood panel 2.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a front body structure for a vehicle which includes a cross member for supporting a front bumper, the cross member extending in a transverse direction of the vehicle body and being provided with a tie-down hook by which a radiator disposed in an inside of the front body is supported in an inclined fashion such that energy of an impact against the front bumper is distributed even to the radiator and which enables to control of structural strength of the front body by a combination of the cross member, tie-down hook and radiator, with an effect of increasing the degree of freedom of designing the structural strength of the front bumper and the cross member.
The foregoing objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing a front body for a vehicle which is equipped with a front spoiler disposed with a separation above from a front end of a nose and extending in a transverse direction of the vehicle body. The front spoiler is provided with buffer means for buffering an impact applied thereto from above. The front spoiler is made of a member changeable in shape when receiving specified energy of an impact from above such as an occurrence of a frontal clash with a pedestrian.
The front spoiler may incorporate a core beam member disposed therein and extending in the transverse direction which is secured to part of the vehicle body and is formed with a weak part at a middle section in the transverse direction so as to cause deformation at the weak part when receiving specified energy of an impact from above upon an occurrence of a frontal clash with a pedestrian.
Further, the front spoiler may comprise strut means for fixedly supporting the front spoiler at opposite ends in the transverse direction on the part of the vehicle body which is changeable in shape when receiving specified energy of an impact from above upon an occurrence of a frontal clash with a pedestrian.
The front spoiler may be additionally provided with an integral supporting member extending from a middle of the front spoiler in the transverse direction to the nose which is capable of changing in shape under specified energy of an impact against the front spoiler from above upon an occurrence of a frontal clash with a pedestrian.
Preferably, the front spoiler is installed with a forward end thereof disposed in a position near and above a front bumper. A cross member operative to support the front bumper may be provided such as to extend in the transverse direction and is provided with a tie-down hook by which a radiator disposed in an interior of the front body is supported in an forwardly inclined fashion.
According to the front body structure of the present invention in which the front spoiler is disposed with a separation above from the front end of the nose of the front body in the transverse direction and is provided with the impact buffering means for buffering an external impact from above upon an frontal clash with a pedestrian, the front body is ensured to perform desired aerodynamic performance by the front spoiler. Additionally, the front body realizes ensured pedestrian protection upon an occurrence of a frontal clash by means of alleviating a shock of the clash against the upper body of a pedestrian when the pedestrian is hit by the vehicle so hard that the head of the pedestrian is forced to pitch forward toward the hood panel 2.
The front spoiler which is made of materials that are capable of changing in shape when receiving specified energy of an external impact provides the front body with improved pedestrian protection performance upon an occurrence of a frontal clash against a pedestrian. Furthermore, the front spoiler 12 which incorporates the transversal core beam member disposed in the inside of the front spoiler and formed with a weak part sufficiently fragile enough to cause deformation when receiving specified energy of an external impact thereon and secured at opposite ends to part of the vehicle body ensures more improved pedestrian protection performance due to deformation of the core beam member. In addition, the front spoiler 12 which is fixedly supported on part of the vehicle body at transversally opposite ends by the cushioning supports operative to absorb energy of an impact applied to the front spoiler achieves more ensured pedestrian protection.
The front body which is provided with the front bumper disposed in near front of and below the front spoiler so that the front bumper hits and sweeps legs of a pedestrian when the vehicle has a frontal clash with the pedestrian and then the front spoiler stops the upper body of the pedestrian to absorb energy of an impact of the upper body of the pedestrian pitching forward toward the hood panel achieves more ensured pedestrian protection upon an occurrence of a frontal clash.
Furthermore, the front body which includes a cross member for fixedly supporting the front bumper on the vehicle body having the tie-down hook by which the radiator is supported in a forwardly inclined fashion distributes energy of an impact against the front bumper even to the radiator. This arrangement enables to control of structural strength of the front body by a combination of the cross member, tie-down hook and radiator, so that it can be realized to increase the degree of freedom of designing the structural strength of each of the main front bumper and the cross member.